Local Adaptations of the Regional ‘Technological Shelf’

Excavation by the author at the site of al-Humayma, ancient Hawara, allowed detailed reconstruction of the water-supply system that supported this isolated settlement in the hyperarid Hisma Desert of Southern Jordan. A re-evaluation of the regional water-supply systems in Arabia Petraea from the Nabataean through the Early Islamic phases, shows that some aspects of the systems at Nabataean sites, such as Petra and Hawara, had precedents in the technologies of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements in the region, while others can be traced to developments in the Hellenistic Aegean. Sites such as Petra, Hawara, Iram, and Hegra show that the overall flavor of the water-supply systems remain strictly regional, mostly due to climate, topography, and hydrology

Global norms, organisational change: framing the rights-based approach at ActionAid

This article examines the adoption of the rights-based approach (RBA) to development at ActionAid International, focusing in particular on its Education Theme. Although there has been a considerable volume of work that examines the rise of RBA, including in the pages of Third World Quarterly, the power dynamics and conflict involved in shifting to RBA have largely gone unnoticed and explored. Using the methodological tools of discourse analysis and social movement theory on strategic issue framing, I examine how ActionAid leadership worked to ‘sell’ RBA to somewhat-resistant staff and partners. I argue that ActionAid struggled to reconcile its commitment to global rights norms with the ongoing needs-based programming at country-level. This raises important questions about the power dynamics involved when an NGO undergoes a process of organisational change, even when, as is the case with RBA, this is widely seen as a progressive and desirable transition

The Roman Maritime Concrete Study (ROMACONS): the harbour of Chersonisos in Crete and its Italian connection

Vitruvius stated that it was necessary to use pozzolana from the Naples region in Italy to make hydraulic concrete that could set underwater. How extensive was the use of this particular material? We know that pozzolana was shipped across the Mediterranean from Italy to Israel for the construction of the major harbour of Caesarea. But did the Romans also export it to minor cities such as Chersonisos in Crete to build the concrete moles for its harbour? The Roman Maritime Concrete Study (ROMACONS) was established to answer these questions and others related to the use by the Romans of this extraordinary technology.Depuis Vitruve, il est admis que l’utilisation de la pouzzolane provenant de la région de Naples est indispensable pour fabriquer du ciment hydraulique à prise dans l’eau de mer. Notre article pose différentes questions concernant l’importance de l’utilisation de ce matériau et de cette technologie révolutionnaire. Si de la pouzzolane a bien été exportée vers le grand port de Caesarea (Israel), qu’en est-il vraiment de plus petits ports comme Chersonisos en Crète ? Le projet ROMACONS (Roman Maritime Concrete Study) a pour objectif d’étudier le ciment maritime romain en Méditerranée et tente de répondre à ces interrogations

Water Management in Ancient Civilizations

Dieser Sammelband vereint Beiträge zum Wassermanagement antiker Zivilisationen. Er umfasst dabei die große Bandbreite antiker Methoden zum Wasser sammeln, zur Wasserversorgung, zur Verteilung oder zu Verteilungsproblemen. Die Beiträge reichen von den Anfängen des Wassermanagements in Mesopotamien und Ägypten, über die Hellenistischeund Römische Epoche, bis hinein in das Mittelalter und die Neuzeit. Das Faszinierende am antiken Wassermanagement sind dabei nicht nur die frühen Lösungen und Anwendungen, sondern insbesondere auch ihre Wirkung und Wichtigkeit bis in die Gegenwart und Zukunft, denn Wasser ist und bleibt die wichtigste Ressource für menschliches Wohlergehen.This volume brings together papers on Water Management in Ancient Civilizations. It envelops a great variety of ancient means to harvest, supply, distribute, and dispute water in all its forms. Contributions range in time period from the early means of water management in Mesopotamia and Egypt, to the Epochs of Hellenistic and Roman Eras, into medieval times and beyond. The fascinating momentum of ancient water management include not only the great solutions and applications that were already at hand thousands of years ago, but its implications and importance for present and future problems, since water is, was, and will continue to be the most precious resource for human wellbeing